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About The Georgia bulletin (Atlanta) 1963-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 21, 1985)
SURVEY Deacon Forrest Briesch is a fulltime pastoral associate at the Church of the Transfiguration in Marietta. He is respon sible for coordinating instruction for parents of children to be baptized, and RCIA. He works with couples preparing for marriage and counsels couples seeking annulments. He visits the sick, preaches and performs baptisms, marriages and funerals. 1. Yes, in many ways the new liturgy of the Mass with its use of the vernacular and active participation beyond the traditional usher and altar boy roles gave me a sense of real ownership in the official public worship of the Church that I only minimal ly experienced before Vatican II in the para- liturgical devotions. As Catholics, over the past several centuries, our relation ship with God to the persons of Father, Son and Holy Spirit had progressively become more vertical, personal, transcendent and unfortunately, apprehensive. I feel this created in me and for many others a false image of God as being aloof, overly demanding, conditionally loving, insen sitive and at times vindictive. The focus seemed to me to be more on God’s power, omniscience and his strict sense of justice than on his love and mercy. The openness, acceptance and understanding flowing from the changes of Vatican II in such areas as ecumenism, marriage legislation, laity involvement in a broad spectrum of Church life and the restoration of the diaconate including admittance of married men to this order has effected in me a better image of God. For me at least there now exists a balance between the vertical transcendent nature of God and his horizontal immanent, incarnational and communal nature as expressed in the humanity of Jesus. The Father for me has become loving, gentle, compassionate and forgiving, more in focus with the image that Jesus taught through His parables and miracles. Jesus has become more ap proachable due to a better balancing of His humanity and divinity; and the Holy Spirit has become a powerful force in my life as a counselor and guide. 2.1 feel much still needs to be done in three areas of con cern for the Church. It seems to me we are still too focused on the legal and governing role of the Church. The pastoral role of the Church as exemplified by Jesus towards the women at the well, I feel, suffers greatly by this focus. Our mission to evangelize and make disciples of all nations stumbles in “How” to welcome, receive and minister to those whose lives will not fit neatly into the compartments of acceptabili ty that our laws create. In my life I have encountered many people who have been alienated by an unfortunate perception of us as elitist regarding membership — preferring only the cream of the crop, so to speak. Jesus simplified the overly burdensome legalistic law of the day by two simple commandments — love God and love your neighbor. Couldn’t we examine, reduce and simplify our Church code of law in light of these same two commandments? We have restored many of the practices today that existed in the first five centuries of the Church such as the diaconate, the vernacular, Eucharist as meal, etc. I feel two areas still beg for restoration or reform — optional celibacy for priests, and admittance to Ordered service of all who qualify by vir tue of their spirituality, knowledge and sense of commit ment to service regardless of sex. Optional celibacy for the Western church only became the accepted discipline in the year 385 A.D. at the insistence of Pope Siricius. The Eastern Rite never adopted this practice except as it related to its bishops and above. The Church through the ages has tolerated, endured and worked to overcome many cultural practices and attitudes in society which it denounces today clearly as evil such as slavery, racism, exclusive nationalism, vendetta, unfair labor practices and sexism. Throught its faithful proclaim ing the message of Christ, many of these evils today have been weakened or eliminated. Areas previously the cultural prerogative of only the rich, the royal or the male are in reach today of the common person regardless of sex, race or culture, such as medicine, law, accounting, etc. I would like to see the Church address these same issues internally that it has so successfully done in civil society. I believe it is the time for the cultural chauvinism regarding service roles for all of us and for the unforgiving attitude toward those who challenge or refuse the human disciplines of the Church to be buried in the same grave that their civil counterparts are. Deacon Forrest Briesch Susan Buckley is director of Heart Church in Atlanta. 1. Well, I wasn’t Catholic in 1964, in fact, I became a Catholic in 1975, so changes had already taken place and it was possible for me to join. I was brought up to distrust and be suspicious of Catholics. Everyone in my church at the time knew that Catholics needed per mission to do anything and didn’t need to be responsi ble or held accountable. That didn’t fit the definition of adult. In 19751 wanted to be one with my family in faith. My husband was Catholic and my first son was making his first Holy Communion. I decided to join. I also discovered I like hearing the Good News; that life was a journey, that grace was given freely along the way and that adults needed to be responsible, but I feared the faith wouldn’t do for me what I thought it had done for others. At the end of my preparation (one- to-one with a priest), I still had doubts although I was ready for the traditional ceremony. I took a giant step at that point because I couldn’t define or unders tand “Transubstantia- tion,” the mystery of the Eucharist was something I didn’t own yet but no one asked me if it was mine either. I decided not to worry about it, accept it and practice using the Eu charist and see what would happen. During my first confession I remembered sharing my fear that if anything happened to my family, if my husband or children were taken away from me, I didn’t know if I could remain a Catholic. Thank the Lord, that wise religious education at Sacred Susan Buckley priest accepted me with all my doubts. A short 10 years later, I am a director of religious education, whatever that means! It speaks to me of my journey in maturing and deepening faith, not of knowledge. In fact, God shakes his head and laughs with me in all that I don’t know but He delights in my eagerness to learn. All that the Catholic Church offered is real and it worked when I let it. It was an invitation I took serious ly — to be responsible, honest, explore, examine and grow. I am thankful and grateful for the growth the Church has gone through too. The Church ex periences growth pains just like the individual does. It is all so normal and healthy, it needs to be celebrated. 2. Nothing. We need good caring and sensitive leaders in the ecumenical movement. My parents, brothers and sisters did not support or understand my decision to become Catholic then and they do not now and yet I sense that they know I have something special. Rose Kinkela is a member of St. John the Evangelist parish in Hapeville where she is active in the Ladies Guild and the Ladies Boutique. She is treasurer of the Archdiocese of Atlanta Council of Catholic Women. 1. Well, in a couple of ways yes. Before Vatican II, I just went to Mass and tried to follow the Latin with the English translation. I don’t think I was able to concentrate. I’ve begun to realize, since it’s in the vernacular, just what the Mass means. I really enjoy it more. Before Vatican II we accepted whatever our priests and bishops said. Now I appreciate the fact that I can go ahead and talk to my pastor, ask him questions and I can disagree with him without feeling that I’ve committed a sacrilege. I really enjoy the new companionship we enjoy with our priests and nuns. And this new companionship has given me more respect for them. One of the best results is that we now have more adult education classes. They’ve been very helpful to me, I get much insight into the complexities of our religion and I feel free to ask questions. 2.1 do not like the idea of everybody drinkng out of the common cup especially since the U.S. Congress passed a law years ago that you can’t have common cups in schools, bus or train stations because of the transmission of disease. I would like to see the solemnity restored to the Mass without crowding the altars with Eucharistic Ministers and children. I personally would like to see a High Mass celebrated once in a while and Benediction. And I think they should start teaching children the Baltimore Catechism. PAGE 7 — The Georgia Bulletin, November 21, 1985 Father David R. Kukielski is parochial vicar at the parish of Sts. Peter and Paul in Decatur. 1. What did the changes brought about by Vatican II do for me personally? — Greater understanding of the church as “commu nity” and greater aware ness of my personal need for such. Greater awareness of all members of the Church as missioned to proclaim the Gospel in word and deed. Greater awareness of the Church as a dynamic entity and not a static one thus always in need of further growth and change. — Spirit of hope. 2. What renewal or restoration would I like to see? — Optional celibacy for diocesan clergy. — Women deacons, priests and bishops. — Small parish communities rather than large, with each having but one Mass on Sunday. — Continued liturgical renewal: design of worship spaces which allow for the entire assembled community (and not only the priest) to move from lectern to altar, as well as the development of a third liturgical center, the baptismal pool, located near the entry way of the church building and around which the entire assembled community gathers for both the introductory and closing rites of each Mass. — Renewing the practice of not only baptizing, but con firming and giving First Eucharist to infants when we receive them into the Church, thus restoring even here the integrity of the Sacraments of Initiation as a unit. — Continued justice and peace efforts. — Continued ecumenical effort. Father David Kukielski Deacon Winston Leverett and his wife Dorothy are members of St. Paul of the Cross parish in Atlanta. Deacon Leverett is presi dent of the parish Saint Vin cent De Paul Society. Dorothy Leverett is active in SVDP, the Altar and Rosary Society and is a church usher. 1. Vatican II did bring about changes that helped Deacon Winston us t0 he better Catholics as well as better Christians, and Dorothy Leverett We became active par ticipants instead of just passive spectators. When the priest celebrated Mass with his back to the people it was like riding in a bus sitting behind the driver. The changing of the Mass from Latin to English with the priest facing the people gives us a better understan ding of the Mass and its true meaning. Sharing in both species at communion, being able to receive the bread of the Lord in the hand is very special to us. Sister Barbara Smiley, R.S.M., is coordinator for adult education and youth ministry, St. John the Evangelist parish in Hapeville. 1. Every decision made before Vatican II was made for us. I think one of the things happening with Vatican II is that more decision making is given to the in dividual. I found that helpful to maturity and, Sister Barbara looking at my own vocation, Smiley, R.S.M. as more my making the decision to keep on going in the stages of formation. The changes gave us a lot of freedom and that freedom helped us in doing works of mercy. Before, we were almost cloistered and not able to go out and do works of mercy. You would get up, go to school, come back. Your life was very regimented. I find that the freedom we have now really does help us in reaching out to people and in doing works of mercy. 2.1 would like to see Religious women and the laity more involved in decision-making, not just on the pastoral level but on the diocesan and the whole Church level. The other thing I would like to see is women’s ordination. I feel there are women who feel called to that. I don’t believe there is anything keeping them from it except tradition. I would like to see it studied and acted on more than it is.
